Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Barkley Robinson once plied his trade as an elite road cyclist.

Now - after three years of becoming one of the area's foremost mountain bikers - Robinson will get back into road cycling.

Robinson and more than 290 other riders, including about 20 local athletes, will compete in the inaugural Steamboat Springs Stage Race. The event starts Friday and continues through Monday. It is the only stage race in Colorado.

Each stage includes something different. The first stage, Friday, is a time trial at Marabou Ranch. Saturday is a circuit race at Marabou Ranch, Sunday is a longer road race, and Monday is a criterium through streets of downtown Steamboat Springs.

"This is a really neat event," said Robinson, who has done multiple stage races in the past. "You have got to get through every day, but also think about the overall picture. You can't kill yourself on one day or struggle the following days. You want to conserve a bit for the overall, but at the same time don't give up anything on one day."

Riders must complete the first stage to go on to the next stage. Awards and prizes will be awarded after each stage. At the conclusion of Monday's race, a general class award will be presented to the overall winner from each of the nine divisions. More than $6,500 will be divided among the nine divisions. Daily prizes also will be given out.

Race Director Corey Piscopo said he initially hoped to get about 100 riders. But with Labor Day usually being the end of the road-racing season, he wasn't surprised to see 300 competitors.

What may have surprised him, however, was the level of competition that will be in town. In addition to top-level local racers, some top road-biking professionals and teams will be in town.

Several riders from the Garmin Chipotle Development Team will be riding, along with top cyclists Taylor Phinney, Danny Summerhill and Alison Dunlap. Phinney and Summerhill often are regarded as two of the top young cyclists in the world. Phinney gained attention when he finished seventh in the individual pursuit at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also won the individual pursuit at the 2009 International Cycling Union Track Cycling World Championships.

"It was really a question mark," said Piscopo, who started the dialogue about the stage race in January. "We took a risk and jumped into this. We weren't sure how many people would come this late in the season. The fact (that) the economy was tight, we weren't sure if we could get enough people to sign up or come up."

Piscopo said all the stages should be interesting to watch, but that the criterium would provide spectators with the most interesting viewing.

During the Monday event, Oak and Pine Streets will be closed between Fourth and Eighth Streets.

There, riders will do high-speed laps for various amounts of time. The event will go all day with the top divisions starting last.

"You'll see a lot of action," Robinson said. "It's a good spectator sport."

For more information, visit http://bikesteamboat.com.

- To reach Luke Graham, call 871-4229 or e-mail lgraham@steamboatpilot.com